It’s not often that I find a book I like and end up buying a copy for a friend before I finish reading it. You buy extra copies not because you’re a Little Miss Moneybag or something fancy like that. That’s because I don’t want to share the copy I have, and I don’t want to risk never seeing it again.
This book is, of course, “The Alchemist”. I won’t tell you what this book is about because the storyline alone doesn’t do it justice. Here are some quotes from my favorite books. I hope you love them too and that they make you stop and think for a moment:
“When everyone is young, they know what their destiny is. At that point in their life, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream and do everything in life. They long for everything they want to happen. But over time, mysterious forces begin to make them believe that it is impossible for them to understand their destiny.”
“What is the world’s biggest lie?” the boy asked.
“It means that at some point in our lives we lose control of what’s happening to us and our lives become controlled by fate. That’s the biggest lie in the world.”
“When someone is different from what others want, others get angry. Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how others should live their lives, but their own I don’t think anything about it.”
“Naturally, [your mind] fears losing everything you’ve won in the pursuit of your dreams.”
“Then why should I listen to my heart?”
“Because you’ll never be able to stay silent again. Even if you pretend you don’t hear what it’s telling you, it’s always inside you, repeating to you what you think about life and the world.” I will tell you.”
“Does that mean I should listen even if it’s treason?”
“Treason is an unexpected blow. If you know your heart well, you will never be able to do such a thing. Because you will know that it is dreams and aspirations, and you will not know how to deal with them. Because you can understand.”
“You can never run away from your own mind, so it’s better to listen to the person, and then you won’t be afraid of unexpected blows.”
“Everyone on earth has treasures waiting for him. We, the hearts of people, do not tell too much about those treasures, because people no longer want to go in search of them. We only tell our children about them, and then we just move on with our lives, towards our own destiny, in our own direction. Few people follow the path set out for them, the path to destiny and happiness.Most people think of the world as a threatening place, and it is; It turns out to be a great place.
“So we, their hearts, speak more and more softly. We never stop speaking, but we begin to wish that our words would not be heard. I don’t want you to suffer because you don’t follow your heart.”
“Why doesn’t the human heart tell us to follow our dreams?” the boy asked the alchemist.
“Because that is what hurts the heart the most, and the heart does not like to suffer.”
Since then, the boy understood his heart. He asked, “Please, never stop talking to me.” He said that when he wandered far from his dreams, his heart pressed against him and begged him to sound the alarm. Every time the boy heard an alarm, he vowed to heed the message.
How not to live your life
“I will be bitter and misanthropic because some betrayed me. I will hate those who found their treasure because I did not find mine; and I will hate those who found theirs.” I will cling to my meager possessions because I am too insignificant to conquer the world.”
The boy knew there was magic in money. People with money are never alone.
If you haven’t read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, I can’t recommend it enough. This isn’t a self-help book, it’s the kind of book that just makes you stop and think about your life and the decisions you’re making. If you’re like me, a bit of a traveler and a bit of a dreamer, you’ll love this book!